


Love All

by lesbianwisdom



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, and i hope this fic does not give this impression but this is no way romantic, anyway greg and garnet are both dorks, not between greg and garnet at least, so here's to dorkiness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianwisdom/pseuds/lesbianwisdom
Summary: Garnet and Greg have known each other for a long time. A series of vignettes explores this friendship as the two go from acquaintances, to tennis partners, to loving guardians of an extraordinary child, and to lifelong friends.





	1. Second Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what they say about <strike>first</strike> second impressions.
> 
> In other words, Greg and Garnet's deliciously uncomfortable second conversation ever.
> 
> I love this BroTP to pieces, and wish it got more exploration. This work became way longer than I originally intended it to. Anyhow, let me know what you think, apologies for any glaring errors!

On the beach, it wasn’t the chirping of early birds that woke people, nor the roars of ruthless managers - it was the whoosh of the waves rolling onto shore. So it was when Greg rubbed his eyes and sat up. Light filtered welcomingly through the window of his van.

After making himself - and the van’s interior - more presentable, he pushed open the rear doors and stepped on to the soft sand beneath him. He was greeted by the gentle gradient of a morning sky overlooking the ocean. The salty fragrance of the aquatic paradise before him energized and refreshed him. In his sleepy haze, there was nothing for him to do but marvel at the scenery. It wasn’t every day he woke up to this kind of a view, after all. The past few months had been filled with sleepless nights in objectionable motels or ditches, with Greg using whatever he could to try and block out the sounds - and smells- of Marty’s… evening engagements. 

So yeah, this was nice. 

Being free from Marty was nice. 

For so long, he had been too afraid of missing out on career opportunities to stand up for himself. But fear was killing his enthusiasm for performing. Of course he could never abandon music, it was one of the loves of his life. But his stint in the business had turned writing and performing songs into soulless chores, instead of fulfilling crafts. 

That had all changed last night. 

Confronting Marty was risky, maybe even foolish, but he was absolutely sure it was the best decision he had made to date. A spark he had not felt in a long time suddenly sprung to life like a burning flame in his belly. From now on, he resolved to make music for his own pleasure, not someone else’s profit. His joy would not be stolen from him. 

And if he was being honest, the mysterious woman was a part of that reignited fire. 

He recalled his encounters with her and her… friends? Family? Tenants? That was something he’d have to ask Rose about. 

_Rose_.

The sound of her name filled him with warmth. How beautiful. It suited her elegance and compassionate charm. Since the moment she had uttered it tenderly, cautiously, curiously, under the stars, the word would not leave his head. 

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed up, just talking and enjoying each other’s presence. But it had been pretty late by the time she bid him goodnight and retreated to her futuristic cave door thing. He did not regret it one bit. 

A new path stretched before him, and he was going to take it. He tried not to think about all the unanswered questions he now had on his hands (Where would he live? How would he earn money? What would he do? And what was going on between him and Rose?), choosing to focus on his newfound freedom for the time being. He’d revel in it a little while longer before freaking out about the other stuff. 

His stomach growled. Rifling through his pockets, he discovered he had some spare cash on him. He would have to use his money sparingly, at least until he had a decent income, but that was nothing new. It wasn’t like trying to break into the rock scene was earning him big bucks. Still, food seemed like a pretty good investment, so he began to head back into town. He could stop by their local- 

He halted in his tracks. 

What was a good place to get a warm meal around here, anyway? He had no clue. Beach City didn’t seem like the type of place to have one of those familiar fast food chains, either, which you could always fall back on if you were really in a pinch. There probably was no Stardoes or McFrank’s or Jalapeños. Those were usually for highly populated or well-known towns, and well. It was not highly populated here. Not that Greg turned up his nose at smaller towns, but it did make his breakfast dilemma a bit more complicated. 

His gaze fell upon the giant sculpted woman protruding from the face of the cliff. It occurred to him that this was a strange way to decorate your home, especially given the cave-like structure resting between the statue’s hands. Four hands out of… well, it was difficult to tell, since some of the other hands were damaged or missing entirely. In any case, the massive stone figure had clearly been around for a long time, judging by the state it was in. And something told Greg the cave’s four inhabitants had something to do with the whole thing. Again, they all seemed a little out there, but hey. Who was he to judge? Besides, the statue did look pretty epic. 

Wait a minute. 

He scrutinized the odd home. Then it hit him. Here were four of the town’s residents, presumably residents who had a long history in this town. He could ask one of them for suggestions! Perhaps Rose was out and about by now. He pictured the two of them enjoying a pleasant conversation over a hearty breakfast, and couldn’t help but grin. And so he changed his course and made his way towards the cave. 

As he approached, he made out the outline of a tall figure. He was hopeful for a moment before realizing this figure was not as tall as Rose, nor the same shape as her. 

It turned out to be the person who had attempted to throw him over the fence the night prior. She stood un-moving, like the idol above them. Thick shades covered her eyes, and her mouth neither smiled nor frowned, making it difficult for him to read her mood. Somehow, he imagined that underneath those glasses, she had fixed with him with an intense stare, like she was trying to make sense of him the same way he was trying to make sense of her. He gulped, palms suddenly clammy. He tried to walk as slowly and carefully as possible, eager to avoid a repeat of yesterday. She had hoisted him over her head like he was a kitten, and he didn’t want to imagine what sort of injuries he could incur if she decided to use more force and toss him. To be fair, he was an unknown man who had intruded on private property, asking to see someone presumably close to her. Her reaction to the situation had been extreme, but maybe he would have acted the same way if he was in her shoes. 

(Well, metaphorical shoes. She didn’t really wear any - her jumpsuit went all the way around her feet, too.)

He finally came to a stop a few feet before her, not too close, not too far. He smiled in a way that he hoped seemed friendly instead of uneasy. 

“Good morning!” he ventured.

She said nothing. 

“You’re up bright and early. B-beautiful day, huh?” His throat suddenly felt dry. 

No visible reaction. 

“I bet- I bet it’s nice to have some quiet alone time before the day begins.”

Once again, he was met with silence. 

Alright then. This was off to an excellent start.

He racked his brain, trying to figure out how to proceed. She did seem rather quiet last night, too, so maybe she was just wary around strangers? Perhaps she didn’t remember him? If so, her behavior, however strange, was understandable. He extended an arm, his symbolic olive branch. 

“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Greg Universe. You know, the guy who, uh, jumped over your fence last night. And then… drove through it?” Alright, great introduction! He sounded like a total creep!

She stared at his outstretched hand but did not take it. After a few moments of silence, he coughed and awkwardly let his arm drop back to his side. 

“I remember you,” she said bluntly. Greg winced, but plundered on bravely. She finally spoke, this was progress! This was no time to give up. 

“Haha, well, nice to meet you too! Again. I, uh, I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Garnet,” was all she offered. 

“That’s a nice name, really pretty.” 

She seemed to consider this. 

“Greg Universe is also a name,” she finally said. “A human one.” 

“Uh, right. Well. Um, I hope I’m not bothering you. I’ll leave you to whatever you’re doing in a bit, but I was just wondering--” He was cut off by a strangely worded statement. 

“You wish to procure nourishment.” It wasn’t a question. She said it as if she had known all along. 

“Yeah! Yeah.” He was relieved that this finally seemed to be gong somewhere. “You know this place better than I do, so I was just wondering where I could get some good food, is all. Any recommendations?”

“You may obtain pizza and French fries at the Boardwalk, in exchange for an appropriate monetary offering.” 

Score! Not the healthiest breakfast, but he would have to make do. Also a weird way to phrase it, but that hardly registered in his mind. He was too keen at the thought of filling his empty stomach to make any comment. 

“I understand that humans generally enjoy consuming a beverage along with their solid foods,” she continued. He blinked and nodded. 

It was odd, the way she kept saying “human”, like she had to make that absolutely clear so there would be no confusion. Like… she wasn’t one. A seed of a question planted itself in the back of his mind. Was she- no, that was impossible, surely! He was being ridiculous, and maybe even a little rude. Again, this was something he’d need to ask Rose about, instead of jumping to conclusions. His train of thought was interrupted when Garnet spoke again. 

“There is an establishment just beyond this beach where you can obtain many beverages, in exchange for an appropriate monetary offering.” She paused. “My favorite is coffee. Black.”

“Hey, that's great! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! I’m starving!” He laughed, but this seemed to concern her. 

“I didn't foresee you dying of hunger,” she said, the slightest hint of distress entering her voice. He might have missed it if he were multitasking.

“W-what?!” He chuckled nervously. “No, no, it’s… it’s just an expression. I’m just really hungry, that’s all.” 

She relaxed at that. 

“Sorry. I panicked.” Her tone was back to its utterly neutral self, as it had been at the beginning of their conversation.

“Nah, it’s fine, you don’t need to apologize,” he said, waving his hand. “I guess it is an alarming expression if you haven’t heard it before.” 

“Sorry for trying to throw you over the fence,” she clarified. “Rose informed me that you could have been seriously injured or even killed. I didn't know that. I wasn't trying to kill you. Just deter you.” 

“Oh!” He wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. Part of him was comforted, but part of him was not. “It’s- it’s ok. I mean, I am really glad you didn’t throw me over the fence, because that would have hurt and stuff. But I’m not upset about it.”

She did not seem entirely convinced. 

“Really, it’s water under the bridge!”

“Bringing up water and bridges seems irrelevant.” 

“No, no, it’s just another expression. I mean that it’s in the past, and we don’t need to worry about it any more.” This was shaping up to be one of the most awkward conversations he had had in a while. And heaven knows he already could be quite an awkward person. 

“I see,” she said solemnly, as if taking an oath.

“Yeah.” 

“Yes.” 

Then they stood there uncomfortably, regarding each other. They both had figured out neither was a threat to the other. Greg could see that she was not malicious in any way, and that she was remorseful for her actions. Now that he had another chance to speak with her, it seemed like she did not really mind his presence, even if she did not quite know what to do with him. In fact, if he knew her better, he may have realized that she was beginning to care for his well-being. 

In turn, Garnet began to See countless tributaries, leading to paths where this human would remain an important part of the Gems’ lives. For now, there were too many uncertainties to single out any one of these as inevitable. Too many possibilities, too many winding rivers and dead-end pools. Too many factors that could change in a split-second. But in her own way, Garnet had accepted Greg. She Saw that in time, she would come to be as protective of him as she was of the others.

Despite these unspoken realizations, neither could shake the awkwardness that hung in the air like thick threads. Greg broke the silence, realizing that she would not be the one to do it. 

“Right, so, um. Thanks again for your help. I’ll get out of your hair now." 

"I hope that's another expression, because you are not in my hair. As irresistible as this Afro is." 

"Yeah, yeah, you got it." He found the Afro comment a bit funny, but was too hungry and too embarrassed to laugh. Plus, he couldn't really tell whether she was joking or not, and didn't want to offend her if she wasn't. "I'm heading out, then, if that’s alright with you.” 

She inclined her head slightly, indicating her consent. Then she resumed her previous taciturnity, and Greg took that as his cue to exit. 

“Have a great day!” he tried one last time, waving. He was sure by now that his smile plastered on his face was wholly unconvincing. She made no comment on it, though. 

He quickly turned and shuffled away from the beach.


	2. Operation Movie Night on the Oceanside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie nights are always fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter ended up being very dialogue-heavy, especially towards the end, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about it. Anyhow, hope you enjoy! :) 
> 
> Also, I really hope Pearl doesn't seem like a major jerk in this. For some reason, I always have a tough time writing her, and am always afraid of making her seem meaner than she actually is. She's just... not that great with Human Things at times, but I love her to bits nonetheless. As should we all, she's lovely.

Amethyst bounced up and down with excitement. Literally. She had turned into a ball and was zooming around in an elated frenzy. It reminded Greg of the Energizer Rabbit from the commercials. 

He tried to avoid tripping over her as he made some final adjustments and checked the TV’s power source. Satisfied, he turned to the others, arms outstretched with a sense of accomplishment. 

“Alright, Operation Movie Night on the Oceanside is a go!” 

Amethyst rolled over to the foot one of five beach chairs, and shape-shifted back to her usual form. She and Rose erupted in cheers, pumping their fists in the air, while Pearl, who still did not fully grasp the point of this ritual, eyed the set-up suspiciously. Eventually, she settled upon a polite clap. The three of them had taken their places, Rose and Pearl in their respective seats, Amethyst curling up comfortably on the sand. They had put out a chair for her too, but laying on the sand was much more interesting. Plus, it was easier to mess with Pearl this way. She _hated_ getting sand in her socks. Amethyst smirked wickedly at the thought. 

“Ready, Garnet?” Greg called.

A throaty hum from inside the van confirmed that she was. In each hand, she held a thick, black cable head. The two cable heads eventually merged into a singular cord that was plugged into the back of the T.V.

“Alright, go for it!” 

“Yeah G!” Amethyst whooped. “Light ‘er up!”

The whites of Garnet’s teeth revealed themselves as she frowned in concentration, bracing her shoulders. Her fists went rigid as she tightened her grip on each cable head. A mighty grunt rumbled from within her chest. If one paid close enough attention, they might have seen that her hands quivered ever so slightly.

“Is she gonna be alright?” Greg whispered out of the side of his mouth. Rose let out a little giggle into the back of her hand. 

“Don’t worry,” she reassured. “It doesn’t hurt. Garnet knows what she’s doing.” Next to her, Pearl nodded. 

“Quite right! Garnet’s electrokinetic abilities allow her to generate and withstand high voltages with little to no strain on her own energy.”

“She does this for me all the time, especially when I blow out the Temple’s lights,” Amethyst added helpfully. To demonstrate, she made explosion noises and gestured animatedly with her hands. “It’s saved my butt probably like a bajillion times.” 

“You really ought to be more careful,” Pearl muttered. “The Temple’s interior is metaphysical, so the fact that you can even blow out the lights is terrifyingly impressive.” 

Rose made a vague noise meant to indicate agreement. 

“Yeah, isn’t it awesome?!” Amethyst said. 

"That's not the response I intended from you." 

A loud zap and sudden burst of light caused them all to turn towards the van. The television flickered to life. Rose’s eyes became stars. Pearl smiled in satisfaction. Amethyst whistled and roared as Garnet emerged, hands engulfed in bright blue sparks. The sight made Greg gasp. But Garnet's face remained impassive as ever, as if her hands weren’t plunged into the middle of a live electric current. It appeared that once she pushed past the initial spark, generating and maintaining the current took practically no effort at all. She sauntered over to the small crowd and settled into her chair, still holding the cable heads firmly.

The four stared at her in various states of awe. She glanced back and shrugged. 

“Movie night,” she said. 

“Yeah, movie night!” Amethyst crowed gleefully. “Soooo, what’re we gonna watch?” 

“_All’s Fair_,” Greg answered, smiling. He walked over to the T.V. and inserted a shiny disc into a thin slot below the screen. All the Gems stared curiously at this. “It’s a classic! A tale of two lovers, separated by forces outside their control, who eventually find their way back to each other against all odds! With a healthy dose of humor along the way."

“Oh, how beautiful,” Rose said, sighing dreamily. Pearl scoffed. 

“Humanity seems obsessed with this narrative. Honestly, I don’t understand why there are millions upon millions of attempts to reinvent it.” 

“You gotta go with the flow, P! Humans are weird, dude.” Amethyst nudged Pearl’s leg. “And they like weird things. You’re supposed to be the smart one, I feel like you should’ve figured that out by now.” This earned the purple Gem a scowl. 

“It’s fun to see what people come up with,” Greg said, shrugging. “A lot of stories are pretty much the same plot, just told in different ways by different people. But everyone brings something new to it.” He hit play and came over to take a seat on the other side of Rose. The swell of an orchestra began to play over a title card and opening credits. “Plus, I think everyone can relate to having to fight for what they love, whatever it is." 

“We certainly can,” said Rose. She smiled warmly and took his hand. “Isn’t that right, Pearl? I think I know a brilliant Gem who did just that.” A blue blush brushed itself over said Gem’s face, now brightened with a bashful smile. Whatever disdain she previously held was nowhere to be found.

"Well, I suppose I _have_ always appreciated a good story about overcoming obstacles and learning to thrive." 

Greg thought that Rose looked pleased, perhaps even a tad relieved, at the change in Pearl's demeanor. He knew he certainly welcomed it. He gently squeezed Rose's hand, a silent thank you, which she acknowledged with a squeeze of her own. 

After the movie began in earnest, the group fell into a comfortable silence, interjected by occasional requests to rewind or turn up the volume, questions about the human practices shown in the film, or reactions to the events of the story. 

At some point, the sun officially set. They hardly noticed, though, they were so engrossed in the story on the screen. Amelia was finally - finally! - confessing her love for Tess. In turn, Tess tearfully admitted that she loved Amelia, too. The two embraced and shared a tender kiss, vowing to never let anything or anyone keep them from one another. 

A loud sniffle was heard. 

At first, Greg assumed it was Rose, but when he looked, her eyes, despite being filled with emotion, were dry. Then he thought maybe it was Pearl. He glanced over to find she was wearing an expression similar to Rose's. Which meant no tears. And it couldn't have been Amethyst, she fell asleep 40 minutes ago (she was probably faking it, but for now she was out cold). As for him, there was a lump in his throat, but he hadn’t cried yet; that would happen at a certain plot point somewhere down the line that always managed to get him. That left….

_ No way. _

Greg's eyes snapped to Garnet. 

Lo and behold, a tear was streaking its way down her left chin. When it reached her chin, it hung in suspension for just a moment, hesitant to let go, before finally relinquishing its grip and becoming a tiny spot upon her knee. His jaw dropped. He had never seen her cry. In fact, in the past few months he'd known her, he had not once witnessed her displaying any extreme emotion. Definitely not in the way the others did. Something must have been terribly wrong. He shot forward and paused the movie, a chorus of complaints rising up behind him. Mostly from Amethyst, who had jumped to her feet and was greatly enjoying the commotion. 

“Greg, is everything alright?” Rose’s voice was soft with concern, her eyes following him intently. 

“Garnet’s crying!” he wailed. 

Once again, all eyes were on the bespectacled Gem.

“I’m fine,” she murmured. She was most decidedly not fine, but wouldn’t let it show in her tone. 

Then, much to Greg’s astonishment, Amethyst snorted. 

“You would, you cornball.” She sounded amused. “G, you’re _such_ a sap.” 

“Oh, Garnet...” Rose said warmly. 

Pearl didn't speak, but her facial expression was relaxed as well. She even rolled her eyes affectionately, appearing otherwise unperturbed. 

“Hold on, so none of you are concerned about this?”

“Er… why would we be concerned?” Pearl asked. If it were anyone else, Greg might have thought she was being snarky, but a) Pearl often did not pick up on sarcasm, nor was she the sarcastic type, and b) she sounded genuinely confused. 

“Because! She never cries!” 

“I’m crying now,” Garnet pointed out mildly. 

“Yeah, that’s the problem!” 

Garnet stared at him for a long moment. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say, but it sure wasn’t, “It’s just so _beautiful_.” Her voice sounded distant, as if she were somewhere else, speaking more to herself than to the others. “Humans’ capacity to love knows no bounds. Those two would do whatever it takes to be together, no matter what anyone else says.”

“Yeah, well, I guess their love is stronger than anyone else, huh?” Amethyst shot Garnet a mischievous smile. This elicited chuckles from the Gems. Garnet shape-shifted her hand to reach over and ruffle Amethyst’s hair. The small, delighted gem was grinning proudly and muttering other quips about Garnet’s “disgustingly sweet” sentimentality. 

“Oh you two had better not start singing, we’ll be here all night,” Pearl said, letting out a mock groan. This led to another round of laughter. 

Greg scratched his head. 

“So… you’re just emotional? Those are good tears?” 

“There is no cause for concern,” she affirmed, nodding. 

He looked at Rose questioningly, who giggled. 

“Garnet loves love stories,” she explained. She glanced at the Gem in question and shook her head. "Honestly, you’re the biggest hopeless romantic of us all.” 

“Romance is the best genre,” Garnet said, shrugging. She sounded rather pleased with herself. 

Greg finally relaxed. All was right with the world. He resumed the movie and went back to his seat. 

“You know,” he began. “I would never have pegged you as the romantic type. Not that that’s a bad thing!” he amended quickly. “So am I. Guess Gems and us humans have more in common than we think.” He smiled at Garnet, and she graced him with a smile of her own, probably the widest one he had ever seen from her. 

“Guess so.” 

“Mind you, she always has been, as you say, a ‘hopeless romantic’.” This came from Pearl, who said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And of course she is, she has good reason to be!” 

“I still can’t believe- you never would have-” Amethyst left her sentence unfinished while she laughed. “Man, you don’t even know the halves of it.” (Greg figured she just didn’t know what the correct expression was, but didn’t think it important enough to correct her.) 

“Now, now,” Rose chided, smiling nonetheless.

“Hey, in my defense, you guys _have known_ each other way longer than I have,” Greg said affably. 

They would have continued bantering with one another, but Garnet shushed them all with two words: 

“Movie night.”


End file.
